NFL notes: Suh fined $100K for illegal block

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Ndamukong Suh's latest controversial play drew a hefty fine.

The Detroit defensive tackle was docked $100,000 by the NFL for his illegal low block on Minnesota center John Sullivan in the Lions' season-opening victory Sunday. Suh hit Sullivan during an interception return by Detroit linebacker DeAndre Levy, and the penalty negated what would have been a touchdown.

NFL spokesman Randall Liu said Tuesday that vice president of football operations Merton Hanks notified Suh of the fine. Suh was not in the locker room at Detroit's practice facility when it was open to reporters Tuesday. A text message was sent to him seeking comment.

Suh said Sunday he wasn't going after Sullivan's knees, adding that the two had discussed the play at halftime. Detroit players said Suh apologized to the team Tuesday.

"He just basically said that he can't make those types of mistakes  he can't put us in a position where we've got to battle back from mistakes like that," wide receiver Nate Burleson said. "He also said, with him having a target, and people looking for him, they're looking at us in the same light. So as a team we've got to understand that the microscope is on us."

It's believed to be the largest fine for an NFL player for an on-field violation, although suspensions without pay can result in bigger financial hits.

Suh has a history of fines. The NFL fined Suh $30,000 last year for unnecessary roughness when he kicked Houston quarterback Matt Schaub in the groin area. He was suspended two games in 2011 after stomping on Green Bay's Evan Dietrich-Smith. Suh has also been fined in previous seasons for roughing up quarterbacks Andy Dalton, Jay Cutler and Jake Delhomme.

Burleson was taken aback when told of Suh's fine.

"Oh, baby! For real? Are you serious? A hundred stacks?" Burleson said. "That's one of the biggest I've heard of, but when you have a guy who people look at as quote-unquote dirty, a play that might not be as dirty could be deemed as such, and you're going to have to deal with the consequences. So it's tough. I hope he appeals it, because I don't think that was worthy of being fined $100,000."

Kelly wants Eagles to go faster

That jaw-dropping, eye-popping frenetic pace the Philadelphia Eagles showed in Chip Kelly's debut can be even faster.

No, really.

Kelly's hurry-up offense sparkled in his NFL debut as the Eagles opened the season with a 33-27 win over defending NFC East-champion Washington on Monday night.

Michael Vick and Co. executed Kelly's don't-stop-for-a-breath offense with precision and efficiency, running 53 plays in the first half and racking up 443 total yards. While the rest of the league and a national television audience watched in awe the way the Eagles moved at lightning speed, Kelly sees room for improvement.

"I felt like it was slow, to be honest with you," Kelly said Tuesday. "I'm not joking. We've got to do a better job. We left the ball on the ground too much. We didn't get the ball to the officials. We could have sped things up from a process between plays. That's something we need to continue to work on."

It looked like Kelly was still coaching Oregon against Pac-10 opponents in the first half. The Eagles controlled the ball 20:20 and averaged 2.6 plays per minute. They outgained Washington 322-75, had a 21-3 edge in first downs and led 26-7.

Around the league

Patriots • New England placed running back Shane Vereen on injured reserve with a designation to return. The move means Vereen must miss eight weeks before he is eligible to play in a game. In Sunday's win over Buffalo, he had a small break in his left wrist, and he underwent surgery on Monday, Fox Sports reported.

Giants • New York signed running back Brandon Jacobs, who played for the team from 2005-2011, was a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams, and should help a backfield in flux.

Cowboys • Dallas released safety Eric Frampton after reaching an injury settlement with their leading tackler on special teams last year. Frampton injured a groin Aug. 11 during training camp in California and never returned to practice. He was placed on injured reserve on Sept. 4. 

Week 2 schedule

Thursday

• N.Y. Jets at New England, 6:25 p.m., NFL

Sunday

• Dallas at Kansas City, 11 a.m.

• Tennessee at Houston, 11 a.m.

• Washington at Green Bay, 11 a.m., Ch. 13

• Minnesota at Chicago, 11 a.m.

• St. Louis at Atlanta, 11 a.m.

• San Diego at Philadelphia, 11 a.m., Ch. 2

• Miami at Indianapolis, 11 a.m.

• Cleveland at Baltimore, 11 a.m.

• Carolina at Buffalo, 11 a.m.

• Detroit at Arizona, 2:05 p.m.

• New Orleans at Tampa Bay, 2:05 p.m.

• Jacksonville at Oakland, 2:25 p.m.

• Denver at N.Y. Giants, 2:25 p.m., Ch. 2

• San Francisco at Seattle, 6:30 p.m., Ch. 5

Monday

• Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 6:40 p.m., ESPN

Share This Article

ARTICLE PHOTO GALLERY

USER COMMENTS

Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, please alert us by clicking the arrow on the upper right side of the comment and selecting "Flag comment as inappropriate". If you've recently registered with Disqus or aren't seeing your comments immediately, you may need to verify your email address. To do so, visit disqus.com/account. See more about comments here.